Records Set at Florida End of Year Match
Report by Dave Conrath
In the last week of December, 2010, two pending FTR records were set at the annual Snowbird X-Miss Match hosted by Florida’s Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club. Competitors traveled from as far North as Michigan (through heavy snow). At the match, conditions varied over the four days of shooting from 25-mph winds, to below freezing temperatures and frost, to burning swamplands including falling ash. In a superb performance given the conditions, Kent Reeve was Palma rifle and overall winner with 1799-99X (dropping only one point over the 3-day event). Keith Perry was overall iron sight winner with 1781-107X.
New NRA 600-Yard Service Record Set by SSG Emil Kovan
SSG Emil Kovan (USAMU) and SFC James Gaston (BNX Rifle Team) took turns setting and resetting the NRA 600-yard individual NRA Service record. SFC Gaston shot a 198-11X, only to be bettered by SSG Kovan with a 200-11X.
Kovan uses a GA Precision-built, Surgeon-actioned, .308 Win rifle. It has a 26″, 11-twist barrel for tactical competitions, plus a 29″, 10-twist twist tube for F-T/R, both chambered in .308 Win. The 26″ BBL is chambered for 175-190 grain bullets, while the 29″ is throated for 210-grainers. Kovan shots moly-coated Berger 210gr VLDs in the longer barrel. He reveled that he loads “bullets long so they get soft seated .010″ when [closing] the bolt”.
In F-TR class, SSG Kovan won for the second year with a 1772-75X, Nik Taylor took second overall with 1769-69X, SFC Gaston took third place 1739-75X. In an extremely tight race in F-Open Class Michael Dana was first with 1765-36X, Mark Finizio took second with 1764-68X, Tom Goodman finished third with 1763-62X.
BNX Rifle Team Sets Pending F-TR Team Record
During the team matches on the final day, the BNX rifle team from Coastal Carolina Rifle Club at Camp Lejeune shot a new, pending F-TR 4-Man Team National record with a 794-37X. Shown below are BNX Team members (left to right), SFC James Gaston (200-9X), Tony Robertson (199-11X), Dave Conrath (197-7X), Tom Goodman (Asst. Coach/Scorer), Nik Taylor (198-10X) — Team Captain and Wind Coach.
